Meaning of 连
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to link
- to join
- to connect
- continuously
- in succession
- including
- (used with 也[ye3], 都[dou1] etc) even
- company (military)
- surname Lian
How to use 连
连 links things together, as in 连接 (liánjiē), and also means one after another, as in 连续 (liánxù). A very common pattern is 连...也/都... meaning even. Example: 他连一句话都没说。(Tā lián yí jù huà dōu méi shuō.) He didn't even say a single word.
连 is made of 车 (chē, vehicle) riding on 辶, the walking or road component. Picture carts on a road, linked one after another in a line, which gives the ideas of joining and continuing.
Common mistake: Learners often drop 也 or 都 in the even pattern and say 连他不知道. It should be 连他都不知道 (lián tā dōu bù zhīdào), even he doesn't know. Also don't confuse 连 with 进 (jìn, to enter), which has 井 on the road component instead of 车.
连 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
连 lián · to link · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 连.
| 连续 | liánxù | continuous; in a row |
| 连续剧 | liánxùjù | TV series |
| 连忙 | liánmáng | promptly; at once |
| 连接 | liánjiē | to link; to join; to connect |
| 接连 | jiēlián | on end; in a row |
| 相连 | xiānglián | to link; to join |
| 一连串 | yīliánchuàn | a succession of; a series of |
| 连锁 | liánsuǒ | to interlock; to be linked |
| 连任 | liánrèn | to continue in (a political) office; to serve for another term of office |
| 连锁店 | liánsuǒdiàn | chain store |
| 连夜 | liányè | that very night; through the night |
| 一连 | yīlián | in a row; in succession |
Questions about 连
What does 连 mean?
连 (lián) means "to link; to join" and is used as a verb and adverb.
How do you write 连?
连 is made of 1 character: 连 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 连 an HSK word?
Yes. 连 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 连 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 连 is written 連.
What is the difference between 连续 and 继续?
连续 (liánxù) means happening in an unbroken row, like 连续三天下雨, it rained three days in a row. 继续 (jìxù) means to go on or resume doing something, like 继续工作, keep working.
Can 连 be used before a number to mean in a row?
Yes. 连 can come directly before a verb plus number, as in 连看了三遍 (lián kàn le sān biàn), watched it three times in a row. This is a shorter, more casual alternative to 连续.